pardon the percolation …

I’m relieved that tomorrow begins a new week with a Monday. The new year celebrations of the past week, on the heels of a holiday-active December, really threw off my sense of time. And combined with the excitement of an in-person meeting with this author regarding her upcoming book that will include my work, I have felt the need to unplug. I didn’t even visit my email for more than 24 hours! Unheard of!!! Activities such as novel reading (this time it was Jodi Picoult’s The Pact), knitting, vision boarding, and cooking with whole food ingredients really ground me, leaving me recharged and ready to take on the new week with enthusiasm and energy.

Here’s a recipe for the Hearty Winter Soup that we enjoyed this evening:

6-8 cups homemade chicken stock (because homemade is extra delicious)

1 cup lentils

4 stalks celery, sliced thin

diced tomatoes, 1 large can

salt & pepper to taste

Add lentils to stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 45 minutes. Add celery, tomatoes and salt & pepper and simmer another 20 minutes. Serve as-is or top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Adapted from Rodale Press’ Glycemic Index Cooking made easy. The original recipe calls for leeks, which I didn’t have in the fridge. Decided not to use any onion, either. The stock was made with our Christmas chicken carcass (organic, thank you!). All in all, a simple and satisfying soup. Give it a try!